Top 5 Shows

1) Ever seen the Hendersons? I think I saw them long ago when the Gold Standard was still around; if my memory isn’t mistaken and it was in fact that band, then the show was in the afternoon at that bar during the Weekly’s music showcase. Since that event takes place in the summer on a Sunday afternoon and evening, I was most likely hot and tired and day drunk, and sadly, I have very little recollection of their performance. However, when I talk to various local musicians from various sub-scenes, each with his or her own stylistic backgrounds and tastes, a common theme I hear is that the Hendersons are the best and most under-appreciated band in town. Don’t take my unsubstantiated word for it, though; you can judge for yourself right here, as well as at the Grotto Thursday night (cover is $5, the music starts at 9), since the Hendersons headline a bill that also stars Jacob Furr (backed by a full band), Chucho, and Denver Williams of Chingalotus. Here is a video of Denver Pyle of Dukes of Hazzard; in it, he and the rest of the Dukes cast compete against the cast of the Waltons in an episode of Family Feud. It sounds like a Family Guy bit but it’s not:

2) Whether or not you’ve heard of the Hendersons, you’re probably aware of the Men of Fairmount Calendar. Now in its second edition, the hotly anticipated 2016 calendar showcases the male staff of twelve Near Southside businesses. All proceeds from sales will go to Good Neighbors Animal Rescue, a local non-profit that endeavors to keep Southside stray cats and dogs from ending up in kill shelters. Shipping and Receiving hosts the 2016 MOF Calendar release party, with a cavalcade of entertainment provided by Fairmount denizens Starbass, Doom Ghost, and Andy Pickett backed by a full band, as well as a runway show and between-band jams provided by WIZARDVIZION’s in house DJs, DJ Baby Dolls and DJ New Orleens Nights. Doors are at 8, music starts at 9, and your $10 cover gets you a free calendar and a free raffle ticket. Prizes, music, dude calendars… If you miss showing up to this, you’ll probably regret it, especially if all the calendars sell out. Now here’s Lee Sklar to tell you about a Warwick Star Bass:

3) Jah bless everyone who supports Fort Worth’s comedy scene. I’m not saying it’s good or it’s bad, but I’d like to give props to those who sit through a parade of cringingly awful yuksters just to see one or two people with legit chops work on their respective acts. It’s probably easier to watch a bad or boring band than it is to watch an unfunny comedian, unless you’re a sadist, in which case, why can’t you just stay at home watching videos of people getting kicked in the nuts? Remember those videos? Now that’s comedy!

Anyway, no matter what you think of the Funkytown laff circuit, it still persists, like those small warm-blooded creatures that eventually replaced the dinosaurs. On Saturday, the jokes will cry out their existence at Collective Brewing Project on St. Louis Ave (a block or two south of Vickery), as the brewery will be home to Too Big to Fail II: A New Biggening, featuring five comics and hosted by Alex Gaskin. Catch Larry Campbell, Scott Crisp, Tara Brown, Jasmine Ellis, and Dalton Pruitt starting at 7pm. Check out Jasmine Ellis being bummed about kids:

4) Riverside area DIY art gallery Bobby On Drums is getting totally trippy on Saturday, bruh. Visual artists Fever Dream Interactive present Dream Infinity, a night of chill-out ambient electronic music and psychedelic projections, as well as something called and infinity room, which my limited imagination seems to think are mirrors on opposite walls; but maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, the dreamy, glitch soundtrack provided by Triangulum, Dolphin Priest, and Vogue Machine will complement the visuals, as well as whatever intoxicants you’ve treated your brain to that night. Show starts at 8pm. If you think this FDI stuff will give you nightmares if you take drugs, then just say no, I guess:

5) Try not to fill up on mimosas Sunday afternoon, because 1912 has a show you’ll want to be able to leave the house for – I know how you think you can drink like 10 or those things (because aren’t they pretty much a dollar each no matter where you go?), but geez, they’re still made with champagne! It’s not like the OJ negates the alcohol, you brunch-breathed degenerates! Anyway, the headliner is a darkwave band from Chicago called PLASTIC. Some of it sounds like what you’d use to score a fight in a Tokyo arcade, so expect a pretty intense performance. PLASTIC is supported by Denton punks The Noids (sorry if this bugs, but the easiest reference point for me – being 90 years old and all – is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But like, way tougher.) Grand Prairie pop punks Esoterikos, Ugly Children (more punk from Denton), some band called HellWar (possibly K-Pop, but most likely not), and the first appearance of another mysterious band called OBSTRUCTION. Cover’s $5, cash bar only. Not surprisingly, the most relevant video I could find is this Domino’s ad from the late ’80s. If you guessed that it features The Noid, you’re right!

Since 1994, Fort Worth Weekly has provided a vibrant alternative to North Texas’ often-timid mainstream media outlets by offering incisive, irreverent reportage that keeps readers well informed and the powers-that-be worried.